3M Peltor Tactical Sport Headset Review

Description

The Peltor Tactical Sport headset by 3M, are intelligent, and active hearing protectors. The active-volume function gives the user a very pleasant sound reproduction with minimal interference due to how smooth it is to adjust it.

Due to it’s unique digital audio circuit there is absolutely no abrupt sound cut-off which unfortunately is a negative characteristic of many active-volume hearing protectors today. Many people find this very unpleasant and disruptive.

This latest addition to the Peltor Tactical line is perfect for using at the shooting range or while hunting. The headset also comes with a folding headband making it more compact for better storage of it while not in use.

It uses 2 AAA batteries which can easily provide around 500 hours of use. (The batteries are included with the device). The audio input jack on the left ear cup is perfect to use along with the Peltor patch cords for auxiliary input of an mp3 player, a dog tracker or a hunting radio.

The advanced electronics found in the Peltor Tactical Sport headset respond super fast in order to protect the user’s hearing from loud and sudden impulse noises. The system within works in such a way that the user does not even hear the cut-off once the protector is activated.

Following in the tradition of the other line of active-volume headsets within the Peltor Tactical family, the Tactical Sport headset will also amplify the user’s hearing when wearing them.

Review

If you find yourself in an environment where loud impulse noises are a threat to your hearing you need something to protect your hearing. There are many hearing protectors on the market today, but in the last few years the electronic hearing protectors have become an essential tool for those that find themselves constantly in high noise environments.

Peltor by 3M are certainly not newbies to the market when it comes to hearing protection and sound amplification. They have certainly hit it out of the ball park once again with the Peltor Tactical Sport Hearing Protectors. These hearing protectors get super high ratings and compete very well if not better against it’s competitor the Howard Leight Impact Sports.

Packaging

The headsets come nicely folded in secure blister packaging. See images below for front and back packaging.

In the package you will of course have your headsets, but they also come with a set of AAA batteries, gray and orange cup covers to swap out the original ones in case you need to. It also comes with a carry bag to keep your headsets well protected. Since they fold up into themselves they are easy to carry around in a range bag.

Weight, Feel, and External Features

The headsets feel very sturdy and well made as well as very light weight once in your hands. The actual headband fits very well around the top of the head without any worries of them slipping off even if you move your head alot. You will not have a problem fitting your hat on top of the headsets or your headsets on top of your hat. That’s how close they fit to your head. The headband seems is made out of steel and it’s rubber coated which makes it very durable. See images below:

There are three buttons located on the right ear cup, the up and down volume buttons and the power button. There is only one adjustment to make in order to set both ears to the same volume. The battery compartment and microphone is located on the same ear cup. Each ear cup can be removed to reveal the inside electronics and controls of the unit as well as the battery compartment. See image below:

Usage and Battery Life

The Peltor Tactical Sport Protector is perfect for use in any outdoor and indoor setting. Whether it’s hunting, skeet shooting, or loud working environments like construction, these headsets will definitely help protect your hearing. Probably the most like feature of the unit is the fact that it can amplify the ambient sound around you. This is due to it’s advanced ASIC chip technology. According to some individual reviews however, these headsets don’t function as good in an indoor shooting range like they do in an outside range. Of course the user would have to be the judge of that.

For example if you were using the headsets at an outside shooting range, the headsets will muffle out the impact noises of the guns around you going off, while at the same time amplifying the voice of someone trying to tell you something. Another example would be if you were wearing them and if you talk normal the sound of your voice sounds amplified, but if you at that same moment clap your hands, you would barely be able to hear your clapping.

The unit also comes with an input audio jack to plug in devices such as your cell phone, MP3 players, dog trackers etc. The only bad thing about the input jack is that it is not a standard single 3.5mm or 2.5mm mini stereo plug so you can’t just use any 3.5mm or 2.5mm cable to connect right into the jack. It is a 2 prong jack which you have to use a special cable that is provided by Peltor themselves which costs around $40.00. There is a cable if you want mono sound and another cable if you want stereo sound which is another downside of the input jack. So if you want to make use of this input jack and want to hear input audio in stereo quality from your Mp3 player, you would have to make sure you purchase the stereo cable. You can purchase the cables by clicking here or clicking image on the right.

When powering the unit on and off the headsets make a distinct beep that let’s you know if they are being powered on or off. The battery life on the unit can easily last between 500 to 600 hours. The unit takes 2 AAA batteries which one set comes with the unit itself. They are easily replaced using the flip up lever on the side of the left ear cup.

The unit has a very handy auto shut-off feature to help conserve battery life which is triggered after two hours of the unit being idle. Nevertheless it is a good habit to remove the batteries after each use.

Overall

Overall the Peltor Tactical Sport Headset is a very well built unit that will definitely do what it was intended to do which is to block off loud impulse noises while at the same time amplifying ambient sounds around you. For the price and being that they are built by a reputable company like 3M Peltor you can’t go wrong with one of these.

The main downside of the unit is the incompatible input jack with most modern devices and the fact that you have to purchase a separate cable to use this feature of the headset. If this isn’t a big deal for you then these headsets would be perfect if you are wanting to purchase a good set of electronic ear protectors.

Pros and Cons

Here are the Pros and Cons of the Peltor Tactical Sport Headset in a nutshell:

Pros:

- Excellent for shooting or to help protect hearing in any other noisy environment.

- Good sound amplification. They provide a stereo sound-view of the world around you while keeping any loud sounds from affecting you.

- Comfortable to wear. They fit very snug on your head.

- The unit only requires 2 AAA batteries which last about 500 to 600 hours of use. Batteries are included. Batteries are easily accessible for replacement by just lifting the flip up lever on the left ear cup.

- Auto shut-off after two hours to conserve battery life.

- The power and volume control buttons are easily accessible.

- They are lightweight as well as very sturdy and well-built. Wire frame is very durable.

- They fold into themselves making them very compact to carry around or to place in a carrying bag.

- Carrying bag is included with each unit along with orange ear cup covers in order to use them for hunting.

- 95.00 to 105.00 price range depending on where it’s purchased. You get a very good product for a decent price.

3M™ warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) Year from the date of original purchase (the “Warranty Period”). Dated proof of purchase such as a bill of sale is required to establish warranty eligibility.

If the product fails to perform due to a defect in materials or workmanship during the Warranty Period, 3M will repair or, at 3M’s option, replace the merchandise with the same or comparable item at no charge to you for parts or labor.

In the event that the product cannot be repaired and a suitable replacement item is not available, 3M will refund the original purchase price shown on your proof of purchase. All repairs are warranted for 90 days against the same material defect.

Peltor Tactical Sport Model Comparison Chart

Image

Feature

Noise Reduction Rating of 20 dBASIC chip technology for cleaner, refined audio reproductionAmplifies ambient sounds so you can actually hear much betterAudio jack for external components such as cell phones, MP3 players, or dog trackersAuto shut off after two hours to conserve battery life

3 Responses to “3M Peltor Tactical Sport Headset Review”

I would like to update my intramofion about this Pulse headset, I was wrong, at first I thought this headset allows you to connect with PS Vita via Bluetooth technology wirelessly with no need of dongle, but it happened to be you can connect with any devices by use a 3.5 stereo cable ! This is very disappointing and also there are many reviewers complain about its bass boost feature that may be not as good as your expectation.

In reply to the post about this unit not having bluetooth that is correct there are two very similar looking models but there are some major difference. The cheaper model(the one that is being reviewed on the page) is the peltor sporttac model: MT16H210F-SV it ranges from 100-150 depending on where your shopping and it does NOT have bluetooth and all auido inputs require an additional patch cord which can range from 25-75 dollars depending on the device you are attaching. The other model, the fancy one, is the peltor tactical sport ws model: MT16H21FWS5U-584 this unit ranges from 350-550 once again depending on where you shop but it does have bluetooth and allows you to link you phone and other bluetooth devices wirelessly. It also have a 3.5 input for making connections to your devices. I only offer this as an explanation to the original poster I do not want you to think you got screwed around on the set of peltors you got. You just didn’t shell out the big bucks for the bluetooth model and who can blame you I know I wouldn’t. Which brings me to the actual reason for my post.

I have embarked on a diy project trying to build an “all in one” hearing protection with out breaking the bank. So far started with a set of Howard leight sync (19.99 amazon) which has speakers and a 3.5 mm input. I have added 10 LEDs (2 in each cup and 6 in the upper part of the head band) a bluetooth reciever by satachei (19.99 amazon) a took apart a cheap set of cobra walkie talkies (24.99 walkmart) and wired them into my headset. At this point I’ve spent 65.00 on the core components and another 35 on switches,wiring, LEDs, etc. and I have been very pleased. There was always something missing that I wanted on every unit I’ve looked at to buy out of the box. I only found one brand with LEDs but it didn’t have bluetooth, none of the unit had a control to skip foward and backward for my MP3 player, and the list goes on of features that I would like but couldn’t find. Not to mention the price I understand the attage you get what you pay for but come one the cheapest bluetooth model I came across was about 350 dollars and it still didn’t have all the bells and whistles but anyway as I was working on this project I started looking into the ambient noise models like the unit that is being reviewed and realized that the technology would be quite difficult to reproduce so I would need to pull the circuits from an existing model but once I started thinking of doing that I figured why not just build a second set. I already have an extra walkie talkie and leftover LEDs and parts. I really only need a set of active muffs and another bluetooth reciever and I’m in business. I would really like to use the peltor sporttacs as my starting point but i am worried about having enough space in the cups to fit every thing. These appear to be considerable smaller the syncs I first used plus the have the circuits for the mics to work. I would like to see some more detailed picture of this model from somebody that owns them like what the other side looks when the cover is off as well as what the inside looks like when you pull the ear ring off. If you could post them here or perfurably send them to my email jtpetray@yahoo.com I would really appreciate it.

Hi. I’m just wondering about the waterproofishniss of these earmuffs? I havent seen anything mentioned about it and I’m thinking if I got a set of these I would be wearing them in the rain at one stage or another for sure.
Please lettus know if you know.. Chur to the Chur (or Churizzo)